CeeLo Green told Ellen DeGeneres he won't be back as a coach on 'The Voice.' / Getty Images

by Bill Keveney, USA TODAY

by Bill Keveney, USA TODAY

CeeLo Green tells Ellen DeGeneres that he won't be returning to NBC's hit singing competition in an interview that can be seen Wednesday on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

"I'm not coming back at all," he tells a surprised DeGeneres in a clip of the interview on the Ellen website (ellentv.com).

The singer has been a coach on four of The Voice's five seasons, although he wasn't scheduled to appear on Season 6, which starts Monday (8 p.m. ET/PT).

After having the same four coaches in its first three seasons â?? Green, Christina Aguilera, Adam Levine and Blake Shelton â?? the music series has gone into a partial rotation. Shakira and Usher, who will join Levine and Shelton for Season 6, replaced Green and Aguilera last spring for Season 4, with the latter two returning for the most recent competition in the fall.

The show has not announced coaches for Season 7, which would take place in the fall if The Voice continues its twice-a-year schedule. Green is the first of the coaches to say he is permanently vacating his chair.

NBC Wednesday issued a statement from Green confirming his departure from The Voice, but saying he is working with the network on other projects, including a music show, and that there is talk that he might host a new show.

"I'm officially announcing today that I won't be returning as a coach on The Voice cycle 7 in the fall. There are numerous reasons that led to this decision, which has been amicably reached with NBC, but I'm excited to be developing several other ideas with the network and my association with NBC remains strong," he says. "The Voice has been an immensely enjoyable experience for me and I can only hope I have enriched the lives of our viewers, the contestants and the many friends I made there. I will always be there in spirit."

NBC reality chief Paul Telegdy saluted Green's service in an accompanying statement. "CeeLo Green has been an instrumental part of the success of The Voice and we deeply appreciate all his contributions. We're looking forward to working with him on other upcoming projects that will tap into both his musical and entertainment expertise."

On the Ellen clip, DeGeneres is interviewing Lionel Richie, who introduces Green, saying he will join him on an upcoming tour. DeGeneres asks Green what he's doing these days besides the tour.

"I'm going to continue my relationship with NBC. I have a television show development deal with them as well and hopefully some other talk show opportunities for later in the year. But yeah, I'm going to miss The Voice, too. I'm not coming back, guys," he says.

He continues: "I don't want to wear out my welcome there. I have so many other things I want to do. I haven't released an album in four years. I'm almost done with an album."

By the end of the segment, Green seems to realize the news he had made with his matter-of-fact announcement. "I didn't mean to drop the bomb today," he says.

As recently as January, Green expressed interest in returning to the show. During a panel discussion with television critics to discuss his summer TBS reality show, CeeLo Green's The Good Life, he said of The Voice, "Yes, I will gladly go back if they have me."

However, he qualified his remarks. "But I will say, I'm human and I have other ambitions that I want to see through that will require my undivided attention. And so with that being said, sometimes it becomes questionable."

Green must still deal with a felony drug charge that could carry up to four years of prison time if he is convicted. Los Angeles prosecutors accuse him of furnishing the drug ecstacy, or MDMA, during a 2012 dinner with a woman. He has pleaded not guilty and denied the allegation.